Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,596 in South Korea, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
Learn more

South Korea Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

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🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Korea and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Korea and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,596 in South Korea versus $791 in China.

South Korea $1,596
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,542 in South Korea versus $1,251 in China.

South Korea $2,542
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,487 in South Korea versus $1,711 in China.

South Korea $3,487
China $1,711

South Korea ($1,044–$1,848) and China ($465–$1,222) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in South Korea is roughly 102% more expensive than in China on average.

South Korea (17% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 ₩9,879

$2.98 ¥19.82

149.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.54 ₩59.1K

$22.09 ¥147

101.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₩8,644

$5.20 ¥34.61

25.19%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ₩5,084

$2.97 ¥19.74

28.96%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₩2,113

$0.48 ¥3.19

231.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₩1,033

$0.30 ¥2.01

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₩5,093

$1.08 ¥7.18

255.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₩5,872

$2.28 ¥15.15

93.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 ₩2,920

$1.80 ¥11.96

22.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 ₩3,931

$1.68 ¥11.15

76.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,694

$0.92 ¥6.14

284.78%

Eggs

$3.22 ₩4,271

$1.61 ¥10.73

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 ₩17.7K

$13.38 ¥89.1

-0.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 ₩11.8K

$3.35 ¥22.28

165.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩34.7K

$11.35 ¥75.5

130.57%

Apples (1kg)

$8.49 ₩11.3K

$1.82 ¥12.13

366.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,495

$1.31 ¥8.69

158.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 ₩8,516

$1.49 ¥9.89

330.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,795

$1.27 ¥8.48

362.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₩5,166

$0.71 ¥4.73

447.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 ₩3,774

$0.93 ¥6.21

205.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 ₩3,568

$0.62 ¥4.12

333.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,533

$0.56 ¥3.74

105.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,544

$3.78 ¥25.16

-9.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.56 ₩22.0K

$12.13 ¥80.8

36.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₩2,821

$0.83 ¥5.54

156.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₩3,860

$1.68 ¥11.21

73.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,457

$0.29 ¥1.92

279.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.35 ₩64.2K

$17.83 ¥119

171.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,667

$1.49 ¥9.89

136.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ₩867

$0.37 ¥2.49

75.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.13 ₩12.1K

$7.10 ¥47.25

28.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₩1,833

$1.26 ¥8.37

9.52%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.3K ₩40.2M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

55.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.0K ₩39.8M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

71.02%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$210 ₩278.4K

$54.6 ¥363

284.37%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$40.27 ₩53.5K

$8.73 ¥58.1

361.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 ₩32.1K

$11.07 ¥73.7

118.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 ₩71.4K

$40.77 ¥271

31.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 ₩22.3K

$14.48 ¥96.4

16.09%

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 ₩15.3K

$6.78 ¥45.13

69.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$985 ₩1.3M

$517 ¥3,438

90.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K ₩31.4M

$19.8K ¥131.9K

19.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.2K

$46.53 ¥310

26.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.48 ₩60.4K

$35.66 ¥237

27.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 ₩104.0K

$77.0 ¥512

1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 ₩129.7K

$80.3 ¥534

21.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₩856.2K

$386 ¥2,568

67.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ₩591.9K

$235 ¥1,561

90.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 ₩2.3M

$822 ¥5,470

108.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 ₩1.3M

$453 ¥3,016

120.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.8K ₩20.9M

$4,697 ¥31.3K

235.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,299 ₩11.0M

$2,372 ¥15.8K

249.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,345 ₩3.1M

$1,093 ¥7,276

114.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

3.46

22.25%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

South Korea

$451 28.3%

China

$210 26.5% 53.4% $241

Accommodation & Living

South Korea

$446 27.9%

China

$235 29.6% 47.4% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Korea

$274 17.2%

China

$74 9.4% 72.9% $200

Eating Out

South Korea

$163 10.2%

China

$88 11.1% 45.8% $74

Clothing & Footwear

South Korea

$126 7.9%

China

$108 13.6% 14.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

South Korea

$77 4.8%

China

$54 6.9% 29.2% $22

Getting Around

South Korea

$60 3.7%

China

$22 2.8% 62.5% $37

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $493 in South Korea, $298 in China. Capital cities: $924 in Seoul vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $2,148 in South Korea, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 65% higher in South Korea.

Dining out costs 91% more in South Korea.

Public transport is 167% more expensive in South Korea.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in South Korea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Korea.

Good to know

🇰🇷 South Korea

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

1 h behind South Korea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,466,201

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,480 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

South Korea China 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

South Korea
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

South Korea vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,596 in South Korea, there’s a 102% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $493 in South Korea and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; South Korea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.